First NY NOW Edition Features New Layout, Industry Seminars

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The summer 2013 edition of NY NOW, the Market for Home & Lifestyle, formerly NYIGF, will debut August 17 to 21, with its more than 2,800 exhibitors, 100,000 products and more than 400 product categories showcased in four new market collections: Home, Lifestyle, Handmade and New! NY NOW also will introduce a new exhibit floor layout and extended show hours, according to GLM.

“This is one of those pivotal moments in time for our industry,” said Christian Falkenberg, NY NOW director and svp/GLM. “New York’s market has evolved and improved considerably over the past few years, and this summer we are proud to introduce NY NOW, the Market for Home & Lifestyle, a more buyer-friendly, better-defined marketplace for fashion-forward, design-driven home and lifestyle resources.”

The summer 2013 market will run at two venues: New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Pier 94. Beginning this summer, show hours have been extended— running 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday and Monday— allowing buyers additional time to source and shop the reorganized exhibit floor.

Each of the four collections incorporates concentrated product sections. NY NOW Home will include Tabletop + GourmetHousewares, Home Furnishings + Textiles and Accent on Design. NY NOW Lifestyle has four distinct sections: Baby + Child, Gift, Personal Accessories and Personal Care + Wellness. NY NOW Handmade continues to distinguish resources by process and provenance, positioning companies into two sections: Handmade Designer Maker and Handmade Global Design. NY NOW New! consolidates market newcomers, across the home and lifestyle product spectrum, on Pier 94.

Beyond exhibits, the show will offer a full schedule of educational seminars and after-hours entertainment for participants. More than 40 sessions will address current trends in color and design, importing, social media, sustainability, marketing and retail strategies. Sponsors, moderators and panelists include representatives from leading trade and consumer media outlets, as well as support from industry associations including Accessories Resource Team, Craft Retailers & Artists for Tomorrow, Day Spa Association, Fashion Group International, Gift & Home Trade Association and International Furnishings & Design Association.

Special events will include the 62nd Annual Retailer Excellence Awards on Sunday, August 18; NY NOW’s Night on Broadway on Monday, August 19; a guided walk of New York’s High Line elevated public park on August 17; and free market week admission, compliments of NY NOW and its showroom partners, to the Museum of the City of New York.

A new Made in the USA display will debut this summer as a showcase for American-made products, both handmade and factory-produced. Other special displays returning to the summer market include SustainAbility: design for a better world, a curated exhibit of environmentally friendly gift, home and lifestyle products, and the “Open House” Trend Display.

NY NOW will spotlight product innovation with awards in several categories, including the Accent on Design Awards and Accent on Design Bloggers’ Choice Awards as well as four Best New Product category-specific awards for Baby + Child, Personal Care + Wellness, GourmetHousewares and Home Textiles Market Week selected by trade and consumer editors and the Eco Choice Awards, determined by popular vote. Additionally, a jury of interior design professionals will bestow the American Society of Interior Designers NY Metro Chapter Best of the Best NY NOW Summer 2013 Awards.

What’s New? That Is The Question
The Housewares Show will culminate what for many in this business has been a busy, compressed winter trade show schedule. The big question at every trade show big and small this year— and every year— ultimately boils down to “What’s new?”